The present invention relates to a set of pieces for playing a modified form of chess. In particular, the set facilitates the playing of a form of chess in which captured players can be used by the captor.
In conventional, International-style chess, the set consists of two sub-sets, each consisting of 8 pawns, 2 rooks, 2 knights, 2 bishops, a king and a queen. Each subset is `owned` by a player, with the denomination of each piece--and hence the moves available to that piece--being indicated by the shape of the piece. The ownership of the pieces is denoted by its colour. In a conventional set one subset is coloured white and the other black. According to the rules of chess, a captured piece is removed from the board and takes no further part in the game. The orientation of the chess pieces on the board is immaterial to the conduct of the game.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,627,324 to Krepp, it was proposed to provide arrowlike designations to the top of chess pieces to indicate the possible moves available to each piece. In the game described in that patent, it was permissible to rotate some pieces as a separate move, thus changing the directions in which those pieces may be moved subsequently. The ownership of the pieces is designated by the colour of the pieces, as in conventional chess.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,040 to Samuels describes chess pieces adapted for use by players learning the game, having a plate removably attached to the piece for indicating the name, symbol, numerical value and permissible moves of that piece. The plates are simply learning tools for new players, and otherwise play no role in the game itself.
The traditional Japanese game of Shogi is played with flat tiles which are square at their rear and pointed or curved at their front. All pieces in the Shogi set are the same colour or combination of colours, so that there is no visual distinction between the pieces of the two players. The denomination of the pieces is indicated by their size and by Japanese characters written on the tiles. Markings on the bottom of the pieces of some denominations allow those pieces to be inverted to denote a change in the denomination due to promotion of the piece during the game.
In Shogi, the ownership of the pieces is indicated by the direction in which the piece is facing. When a piece is captured, the captor is able to keep it in hand and later return it to the board and use it as the captor's own, except that any powers that the piece has previously gained by promotion are forfeited by returning the piece to its non-inverted state.